Think of dairy products and the first brand that will strike your mind is going to be Amul. That is Amul for us. This brand will complete 77 years in December and is still the most-loved dairy product brand in India.
What’s the reason behind this success and persistence?
It is the marketing strategy of Amul.
Brands came and went, while some managed to give tough competition to Amul but the trust Amul has earned over the years is unmatchable.
So, now let’s discuss the marketing strategy of Amul in detail and know about the takeaways for young brands.
Before we begin with the marketing strategy of Amul, let’s know a little about the brand.
About Amul
Amul Coop is the trade name for this cooperative society based in Anand, Gujarat. The society is owned by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited, Department of Cooperation, Government of Gujarat.
It was founded by Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel in 1946 as an organization. In 1949, he hired Verghese Kurien as a General Manager, who later managed the marketing segment.
He was credited for developing an impeccable marketing strategy for Amul after Patel’s death. This brand played an active role in India’s white revolution and became a household product.
It also tasted overseas success.
To understand the marketing strategy of Amul, we need to know the business model.
Amul Business Model
(A flowchart can be drawn here)
As we discussed, Amul is not a private company, it is a cooperative society which means it has multiple managers. The brand is managed by villagers and they distribute profit among themselves in a structured manner.
It has a three-tiered structure. In every village, a Village Dairy Cooperative Society is formed by milk producers who elect their representatives.
These representatives look after District milk unions and also handle the packaging and processing.
Then, milk is sold to the State Milk Federation which acts as a distributor and further sells the Amul products in the market.
It helps farmers in making good money as they can directly sell their products to consumers through the State Federation.
The structure seems complex but in reality, it is not.
Now, let’s talk about the marketing strategy of Amul in detail.
Marketing Strategy of Amul
For most Indians, Toothpaste is Colgate and dairy product brand is Amul.
This is the level of dominance Amul has achieved over the years. But what was so great in the marketing strategy of Amul that led to this success?
They begin when social media was a dream and the team still managed to pull it off better than anyone else.
There were different ad campaigns run by Amul and we will talk about each one of them.
Amul’s Face: The Little Girl
Right from the beginning of the article, I have been waiting to write this: Utterly Butterly Delicious.
The slang is particularly used for Amul Butter and we get a picture of a little girl in our minds who is holding a bread with butter suffused on it.
You must have found this little girl on every product of Amul as she is the face of the brand.
This is something unique about the marketing strategy of Amul. Instead of selecting a celebrity as the face of the brand, they went for a handmade drawing of a girl. It was created in 1967 and is one of the most loved ad icons in the country.
You can find her in ads for different Amul products.
Amul’s Tagline:
The marketing strategy of Amul is different from other brands. As most brands use a single tagline for every product, while Amul uses different taglines for different products.
They also have a permanent tagline: The Taste of India while product-based taglines include “Amul doodh Peeta hai India” and “Utterly Butterly Delicious”.
I was singing both of them while writing, what about y’all?
This didn’t cost them but bought a heavier return in terms of psychological connection with customers.
Playing on Price
I won’t be exaggerating if I’m calling this marketing strategy of Amul a perfect one. They have played on price by offering high-quality products at affordable prices.
For example, an Amul chocolate weighing 150 grams costs around Rs. 110 while the same dark chocolate weighing less than 100 grams costs more than Rs. 100.
This is not a new marketing strategy but is considered highly effective.
Moment Marketing Strategy
You may or may not have heard about the Moment Marketing Strategy of Amul. What they do is use the latest news to promote their products but with enough CREATIVITY.
Nowadays, the data protection bill is bagging the maximum share of newspapers, so, Amul tried hands on this topic as well.
It may seem unconnected but you can see the picture of how well they presented their concern over the topic and promoted their brand.
In this picture, this little girl is hiding her phone from ghosts around.
Marketing Strategy of Amul (Online)
Like any other brand, Amul uses digital marketing to promote its products. Let’s have a glance at the digital marketing strategy of Amul.
It has made the best use of SEO and its website receives more than 1 million visitors every month.
The marketing strategy of Amul is incomplete without social media.
Social Media Marketing
Amul made the best use of social media to spread brand awareness. They have more than 2 million followers on Facebook and have followers in lakhs on other social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube.
They use creative ideas to increase their community on different social media platforms. For example, “Khao Parsi, Piyo Parsi, Jiyo Parsi” is a tagline used by Amul to promote its products.
YouTube Marketing
They have a channel on YouTube that has subscribers in lacs and the channel is used to upload different food recipes using Amul products.
It started with COVID-19 and is continuing.
During COVID-19, they made use of Doordarshan for promoting their product. When Ramayan was being played during the COVID-19 lockdown, people, Amul played its old ads contributing enough to the nostalgic moments.
Takeaway for new brands
What can we learn from the marketing strategy of Amul?
Today’s brands need to know, Amul didn’t taste this success in the beginning itself. They worked hard to develop a psychological connection, improve its reach and gain consumers’ trust.
Good things take time and you need to have patience to experience that.
They tried different ad campaigns and used every possible means to reach customers and have not stopped till today.
So, another lesson that we can learn from the marketing strategy of Amul is perseverance and trying new things.
Marketing is not a thumb rule and you learn it every day. Even the best marketers don’t know the best marketing strategy.
You have to take risks and try new things.
Conclusion
Amul is known for its quality products but after this detailed article, you’ll start appreciating the brand for its outclass marketing strategies.
The marketing strategy of Amul is wide as they are concerned about current topics and use them wisely to promote their products.
Our young entrepreneurs should learn these tactics and make sure they are covering every possible topic so that people could connect with them.
FAQ’s
Who founded Amul?
Amul is a cooperative society founded by Tribhuvandas Patel on 14 December 1946.
What is the market share of Amul?
Amul is the most popular dairy product brand in India. It has a 66% market share in cheese, 45% in dairy whiteners, 63% in infant milk, and 85% market share in the butter market.
What are the marketing channels of Amul?
The brand runs through two channels: acquisition and distribution. It also has its eCommerce stores and showrooms.
Which market does Amul focus on B2B or B2C markets?
Amul is involved in both B2B as well as B2C markets but it mainly focuses on the B2C segment.
What is the marketing strategy of Amul?
The best marketing strategy of Amul is galloping with the product in the market without any advertising. It sells products on customers’ trust and promotes its products using creative methods.
What is the tagline of Amul?
The three famous taglines of Amul are:
- Amul Doodh Peeta hai India
- Amul: The Taste of India
- Utterly Butterly Delicious
Which is the target market of Amul?
Amul is a household brand that caters to people from all income and age groups starting from a 5-year-old baby.
Who are their competitors of Amul?
- Mother Dairy
- Britannia Industries
- Nestle
- Arun Icecreams
- Dodla Dairy
- The Hershey Company
- Heritage Foods
- Mars Petcare
- Kwality Wall’s
- Nutralite
Why Amul sells its products at a lower price?
Amul caters to all income groups which is why it sells high-quality products at low prices. It is a part of the marketing strategy of Amul.
What are the famous ad campaigns of Amul?
The famous ad campaigns of Amul are:
- #CelebratingDrKurien
- #amulrecipes
- Amul Classics
Who plans new marketing strategies for Amul?
The marketing team of Amul is responsible for planning and executing the best marketing strategy of Amul.
